WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to spend unused Ebola funds to fight the Zika virus, a breakthrough that could ease the standoff with Congress over the administration’s request for emergency money for the crisis.
The administration will jump-start the Zika effort using leftover money that Congress had given the health agencies to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, according to two congressional sources. The biggest amount of unused money is $600 million that was intended to help 30 countries improve, and in some cases build, public health systems to make them better prepared to fight future infectious diseases.
The move, first reported by the Associated Press, could make it easier to negotiate with congressional Republicans over the rest of the Zika package. The Obama administration had asked for $1.9 billion in emergency funds to fight the spread of the virus, but top House Republicans pushed back, saying the administration should first use any money Congress has already provided for Ebola that hasn’t been spent.
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